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The capital of the state of Ceará, Fortaleza, is a modern city and an important industrial center and market for agricultural products. The city is also a famous tourist destination thanks to its long beaches that have made it a popular seaside resort.
Fortaleza has tens of kilometers of coastline on which there are 15 beaches. The beaches most frequented by tourists are those of Futuro, Meireles, Mucuripe and Iracema. Near Fortaleza there are the beaches of Morro Branco and Fontes which are famous for their colorful cliffs. Around the city there are important tourist destinations such as Canoa Quebrada, Jericoacoara, and Cumbuco. Location where you can practice buggy, quad biking, rafting, kitesurfing and windsurfing.
The city is located along the northern coast of Brazil and together with Salvador and Recife it is one of the most important cities in the North-East of Brazil. Fortaleza is today the fifth largest city in Brazil by population. Its urban area has over two and a half million inhabitants while the metropolitan area exceeds 4 million.
Fortaleza has a modern look today, with skyscrapers that characterize its waterfront. But the historic center retains some valuable buildings such as the cathedral, the bishop’s palace and that of the governor (Palácio da Luz). Also in the central area, there are the Passeio Público, the Praça do Ferreira, the Ceará Museum and the José de Alencar Theater.
A CITY FOUNDED BY THE DUTCH
The Portuguese began colonizing the area in 1603 and in the surroundings of the current city they founded the São Tiago fort and the small settlement of Nova Lisboa. In 1649 the Dutch, who had meanwhile become masters of the Northeast of Brazil, built a fortification there which they named Fort Schoonenburg. Fortaleza remained in their possession until the capitulation of Recife in 1654, and therefore became part of the Portuguese possessions.
At the end of the eighteenth century Fortaleza was chosen as the capital of the new province of Ceará which had then arisen from a dismemberment of the province of Pernambuco. The city developed enormously thanks to the production of cotton. Today Fortaleza is an important commercial and tourist center. The city is connected to the rest of Brazil and to some American and European cities thanks to its international airport located 11 km from the city center.
The climate of Fortaleza.
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